thử lòng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To test someone's heart/feelings: To deliberately create a situation or ask a question to discover the true nature of someone's feelings, loyalty, or intentions.
- To probe someone's sincerity: To examine or investigate whether someone's professed emotions or commitments are genuine.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Cô ấy tạo ra tình huống đó chỉ để thử lòng anh ta. (She created that situation just to test his feelings.)
- Đừng thử lòng tôi nữa. Tình cảm của tôi là thật. (Don't test my sincerity anymore. My feelings are real.)
- Anh ấy hỏi câu đó để thử lòng bạn bè. (He asked that question to probe his friends' loyalty.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies a deliberate, sometimes manipulative, action to uncover hidden truths about a person's character or emotional state. It can be used in contexts of love, friendship, or trust.
- "Thử lòng dạ": A variant with similar meaning, emphasizing the testing of one's inner mind and heart.
- Câu chuyện ngụ ngôn đó là để thử lòng dạ con người. (That fable is meant to test people's hearts.)
Variants and Related Words
- Thử thách (v/n): to challenge; a challenge. This is broader and often refers to testing abilities or endurance, not specifically feelings.
- Công việc mới là một thử thách lớn. (The new job is a big challenge.)
- Dò xét (v): to probe, to investigate. More general and can be less personal than "thử lòng."
Synonyms
- To test someone's sincerity
- To probe someone's feelings
- To sound someone out (idiomatic)
Related Idioms
- "Thử vàng bằng lửa, thử người bằng gian nguy": A proverb meaning "Gold is tested by fire, people are tested by danger/adversity."
- Anh ta đã vượt qua khó khăn, đúng là thử vàng bằng lửa. (He overcame the hardship, truly proving the saying "gold is tested by fire.")